ACSC12 - Brothers in Arms (Part 1)

(Updated on 02/01/13)

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RedHandedJill

Posted on 01/26/13 @ 09:25 AM

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The Conquerors

Brothers in Arms Part 1 is the start of the tale of two siblings. It is a cinematic scenario so once started do not pause it and do not move the mouse (apart from to get it out the way). It should be played at Normal speed.

It is a tale of how these children cope and survive in the dire situations that arise from their lives getting turned upside down by a war between two nations.

The history behind the story is that the siblings live on a strip of land between the Yohannian Kingdom and the Percivallian Empire. As these enemies expanded their borders, they took over the land between them and this is the war the siblings find themselves in. Both these nations are unknown to the villages of the strand before now.

This is the first ever scenario which I have done and the first time I've ever done triggering so I'd love to hear peoples thoughts so I can improve.
I hope you enjoy it.

Brothers in Arms (Part 1) is an enjoyable cinematic scenario depicting the story of Faye and Myer, a brother and sister that fight for survival in a land plagued by war.

Playability: 4

The cinematic isn't bad at all, but it's pretty short, playing for around ten minutes.

The story is not necessarily original, but it's well told and the cinematic is reasonably engaging. Some problems might arise from the fact that the two characters aren't named within the game itself, and the player needs a good memory to remember who was who (especially since the names are not really common)and which color each of the two main characters were assigned. In a scenario that doesn't use all seven players, this could've been solved by assigning these two characters the exact colors their chat lines have (blue and yellow in this case). Or even easier, provide the names in the beginning of each chatline.

Balance: 5-
In general, the cinematic was well set up and there weren't any inconsistencies or bugs that would turn the watcher off. There were some things that could be improved though, such as the villagers in the second village dying before the swordsmen touched them. Also, the road that the characters take and that the player can see, which is supposed to last for a long time, and that is visibly very short. (a change of camera to a different setting on the map would've given a better impression)

These are things that matter in a cinematic scenario, much more than they would in one that focuses on gameplay, so they shouldn't be forgotten.

Creativity: 4
Though in all honesty this isn't an action packed cinematic, or one in which you would see impressive special effects, there are some very interesting and promising things about it, such as the very nice way in which the soundtrack fits the things happening on-screen. The two main characters also are well set-up, and despite the short length of the scenario, one can easily get attached to them and look forward to learning more about their fate. The author loves to tell a story, and this shows throughout the scenario.

Map Design: 4
The map was pleasant to look at, but there was nothing that really stood out to warrant a higher score. Perhaps more terrain mixing in some areas would've been good, and more diverse scenery, eye candy, etc. Still, for one's first scenario it's a really good start, leaving room for improvement.

Story/Instructions: 4
As I said, the story is not original, but it's told in a way that works, and the characters are interesting. I would've enjoyed more focus on the backstory - what country are they from? who are these (apparently two) enemies that either burn villages down or extort them? Some things are not made clear enough, and would've made the viewer more interested in finding out what happens to the characters next. Save for a few spelling mistakes the dialogues and instructions were ok.

Additional Comments:

A promising first try in AOK scenario design for RedHandedJill, and hopefully we will soon have a sequel to continue the story. A recommended download for people who value story above visual effects.

Lord BasseOfficial Reviewer

Posted on 02/24/13 @ 06:57 AM

Rating

3.6

Breakdown

Playability

4.0

Pacing

4.0

Creativity

3.0

Map Design

3.0

Story/Instructions

4.0

PLAYABILITY: 4
This was a pretty enjoyable cut-scene, and a good first scenario from the author. The story is one we've heard before, but the author still manages to make it somewhat engaging. The music fits very well and adds a lot to the atmosphere, even though it overlaps in strange ways some times. All in all, worth watching!

PACING: 4-
Overall the pacing was very good. The only negative points are that the dialogue sometimes flowed too fast, faster than I could read (and faster than any person would say the lines!). Personally I felt it could've used better, clearer transitions between scenes. Everything seemed to flow together. Even simple things like removing map revealers during the night would've improved things. It still works, though.

CREATIVITY: 3
The story is pretty basic, and there is nothing really new in the cinematic. That said, the author does show she has mastered the basics of scenario design, and the scenario is in no way dull. Little things like people working in the background, and a small waterfall at the edge of the screen, make it interesting to look at, even though nothing really stands out.

MAP DESIGN: 3+
The map has some good use of terrains and elevation, and it looks pretty good. However, it often lacks in terrain mixing, as the forest floor consist of just one type of grass. It's also strange that a town that lies two days away from the merchants hut, is located approximately 50 metres from it! :P

STORY & INSTRUCTIONS: 4
As I've said before, the story is solid but not really new. You can tell there has been effort put into it, but in terms of memorability it leaves a lot to be desired. But for someone who's new to designing, it's a good start! The instructions could've been clearer however. There was no mention of preferred screen resolution or what speed to play the scenario at. It would be good to know, so that you don't accidently make the music overlap!